While reporting on the Holy Land’s vanishing Christian population, 60 Minutes stumbled on Taybeh — a tiny village where Jesus stayed on the eve of his crucifixion.
Online at CBS “60 Minutes: Overtime” you can watch a short video segment on Taybeh: the last Christian village in the Holy Land.
On Sunday, April 22, CBS “60 Minutes” broadcast a 14-minute segment that is bound to receive more “comments” than many of their other topics.
The exodus from the Holy Land of Palestinian Christians could eventually leave holy cities like Jerusalem and Bethlehem without a local Christian population. Bob Simon reports.
Here is a link to Christians of the Holy Land.
For the sake of my fellow pilgrim-teachers here is a link to The Kairos Palestine Document – A moment of truth: A word of faith, hope and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering.
Usually I wear a wristwatch that has two “faces.” One is set for local, Milford, time – 10:47 a.m. in the photo below. The other is seven hours ahead: 5:47 p.m., which is “Bethlehem time.” I keep myself on track … and I am constantly reminded of my friends in Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Beit Sahour, Nablus, Nazareth and Jerusalem.
Sunday morning as I reached into my dresser drawer for a clean handkerchief, I noticed my “good” watch. I wear it on special occasions. Easter is special! So, onto my wrist went my good watch. As a reminder that Easter Day is actually an Octave, I will wear my special watch for eight days, until next Sunday evening.
I can easily and quickly add seven hours to remember whether my friends in the Holy Land are awake or asleep.
As they waited for the Skype connection with the 1st grade students of Miss Ruya from the Latin Patriarchate School of St. Joseph in Nablus (West Bank, Palestine), Mrs. Phillips explained to her students that the children that they were going to meet were 6,000 miles away, and lived near Bethlehem.
The parents in Palestine had brought their children back to school a couple hours after school was out in order to Skype with our children from America.
The Palestinian children had a song ready – “Twinkle, twinkle, little star.” Our children clapped with joy, probably because they recognized the song. They probably didn’t realize how extraordinary it was that 6-7 years olds, whose first langauge is Arabic, were singing in English. Later, the same children would sing a song in Arabic, which Miss Ruya explained was about how they loved their country very much.
The teachers on both sides of the world tried to put some order into the energy and the enthusiasm of their students. Sometimes they were even successful. First graders, wherever they are, are first graders!
When it was our turn, the CD player went on, and our friends in Palestine heard, “All you works of God / Every mountain, star and tree / Bless the One who shapes your beauty / Who has caused you all to be / One great song of love and grace / Ever ancient, ever new / Raise your voices, all you works of God.”
Mrs. Phillips sang.
The children sang and made hand gestures that expressed the words of the song.
The Arab children clapped with as much enthusiasm and appreciation as our children did.
They asked questions …
… and waited for answers.
There were questions (and answers) about snow, favorite sports, how old they were.
At the end of the visit, Mrs. Phillips spoke with the principal, Miss Abeer, who personally visited Mrs. Phillips classroom back in October. In June, Mrs Phillips goes to Miss Abeer’s school – and the circle of friendship will be complete.
On February 28 students from Saint Joseph School in Nablus, in the West Bank of Palestine, visited by Skype with 6th graders from St. Andrew-St. Elizabeth Ann Seton school in Milford, Ohio.
Students from the two Catholic schools were 6,000 miles away, but technology brought them together to see each other’s smiles and to hear each other’s voices.
As one of the Palestinian students sat close to the computer, the others in the classroom watched on a large screen. They saw our students sitting in the hall below our church. Note in the bottom right corner of the next photo: in Palestine it was 420 p.m. The students had finished their school day, had gone home to eat the main meal of the day, and returned, yes, returned to school in order to meet our students who were just beginning their school day at 9:20 a.m.
In the classroom with the students … 
… were Miss Abeer, their Principal, and Miss Ruya, their English teacher. Both Miss Abeer and Miss Ruya had visited our school last October. Our 6th grade teacher at St. Andrew, Mrs. Barbara Ambs, worked out the details of the online visit with Miss Ruya. They each prepared their own students, and pulled off this miracle visit, not giving up, even after technological problems forced them to cancel the first two attempts.
And look who else was in the classroom in Nablus: Father Johnny, the parish priest of St. Joseph.
A Palestinian girl asked her question. She spoke in English. She and her classmates began studying English in the first grade – and French, too. Notice the piece of paper. Isn’t that cute? She had her question ready.
Then she smiled, as she got an answer from her new American friend, who also spoke in English, of course. It would have been a very short visit and conversation, if our students needed to speak in Arabic.
It was fun for all: students, teacher and parish priest – on both sides.
This smile says it all. It’s for the children!
One day I will celebrate Mass on a Friday afternoon in an olive grove in Beit Jala with Father Ibrahim Shomali in prayerful protest of the land confiscation and the building of the separation wall at the Cremisan monastery, ensha’allah (God willing).
Father Shomali is the parish priest of the Catholic Church of the Annunciation, in which I have celebrated Mass on several occasions. I have enjoyed the hospitality of the Latin Patriarchate seminary, which is connected to the parish church in Beit Jala, and at which I have been honored to speak to the new seminarians under the care of Father Faysal Hijazeen shortly after their arrival for the new school year. I have visited the children and teachers at the Latin Patriarchate School on numerous occasions, and in 2008 I was humbled and delighted with an invitation to address the high school graduates and their families at the graduation ceremony on the outdoor plaza overlooking Bethlehem. I have walked from the Beit Jala parish to the Cremisan monastery to buy wine to bring home with me. I know Beit Jala. I know the people of Beit Jala and I know Father Ibrahim, and am blessed to be able to call them my friends.
They need my prayers – and yours! They deserve my attention – and yours!
At the Friday afternoon Mass they are not killing, fighting – just praying.
I am the milk to your cookies … I am the cheese to your macaroni … I am el zeit to your zatar … I am el laban to your mansaf.
It sounds like something Jesus might say, “I am light for your darkness, forgiveness for your sins, hope for your despair.”
Actually, it is written by my Palestinian friend, Ranim. She spends her family time in Beit Jala (Bethlehem) in the West Bank of Palestine and her school time in the neighboring country of Jordan. Ranim and her American-Jordanian friend were taking a break from their study of medicine and were relaxing by thinking of things that just belong together or are always found together or complete each other like …
milk and cookies
macaroni and cheese
zeit (olive oil) and zatar (thyme)
mansaf (lamb, rice and pine nuts) and laban (yogurt)
— and like justice and peace!
Photos by Mark Bowen/HOPE
Since the initial planning of a working-pilgrimage of teachers from schools in our archdiocese to the Holy Land, situations in the Middle East have worsened, particularly in Syria and in relation to Iran.
In the midst of a flurry of emails with information, questions and concerns, a few (4) pilgrim-teachers have decided to delay their visit until 2013. But the majority has recommitted themselves to make the trip. The educators, under the auspices of HOPE (Holy Land Outreach to Palestinian Educators) will spend a significant amount of time learning with teachers from Catholic schools in the Holy Land, in addition to visiting the holy sites.
In renewing her decision, one of our pilgrims spoke for herself and another, “We figure we should make our decision based on the reality of today and not on what might or might not happen in the future. We will trust that, if God wants us to go, He’ll provide the safe path for us to travel.”
HOPE leaders and participants have believed, since the beginning of the project, that “it’s God’s project” and “it’s for the children.” It will be an honor for me to be with them as their chaplain.
Photos by Mark Bowen/HOPE
With Open Doors 